Our Unconventional Family
by LumosLyra
Summary: A series of one-shots of varying length depicting "days in the life" of an unconventional family of nine starting with the day before sending their eldest son off to Hogwarts for the first time. Likely to be non-linear as I write more about the family. Polyamory. Multiple Pairings. HG/DM/AG/BZ.
1. The Anniversary

**Our Unconventional Family**

 **Synopsis:** A day in the life of an unconventional family of nine on the day before sending their eldest son off on the Hogwarts Express for the first time. One-shot. (Possible epilogue/additional adventures at a later date). Poly. Multiple Pairings. HG/DM/BZ/AG

 **A/N:** This is my first try at a fic depicting a polyamorous relationship. If that's not your thing, please turn around. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy! I've grown to love this family as I've written this sweet little story and I may decide to write more adventures for them at a later date. Side note: there is some (minimal) French later on in the chapter – if there's anything wrong with it, blame google translate.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Harry Potter, I'm simply borrowing the characters.

….

Hermione lay in tangled in silk sheets as the morning sun filtered through the gauzy curtains of her bedroom window. A gentle wind, carrying the scent of the gardens beyond, made the curtains ebb and flow in time with the rise and fall of the brunette's chest. Long, pale fingertips traced patterns resembling protective runes along the curve of her hip as a pair of quicksilver eyes watched over her. He feathered a kiss to her temple just as the door opened and two small bodies entered the room.

The first one to enter was thin and dark with mischievous emerald eyes who was dressed in pajamas dotted with golden snitches while the one who followed was still chunky with baby fat with riotous blonde curls, amber eyes, and a pacifier in her mouth. Draco turned from his sleeping wife and smiled at the pair of children. The boy approached Draco's side of the bed and climbed into the bed, falling on top of the blonde in a massive hug.

The little girl stomped her foot and pouted, taking the pacifier from her mouth to demand "up" before popping it back in and holding her arms above her head.

Draco chuckled quietly and hugged the boy to his chest, kissing the top of his head before leaning over and bringing the little girl into the bed as well, kissing her cheek.

"What are you two doing up so early?" He asked, ruffling the boy's dark hair.

The boy rolled his eyes, "Dad, it's not early. It's 7:30."

Draco groaned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "That's still early, son."

"Where's your brother?" Draco asked, noting his oldest son hadn't wandered into his room with his siblings.

"Pa-pakes!" the little girl chimed in proudly with a toothy grin, once again removing the pacifier from her mouth to speak.

"Oh, I see," said Draco, tapping the girl on her nose with a smile.

"Scorpius is making pancakes with _maman_ before she goes to work." The boy clarified, sitting cross legged on the bed.

"Your mother is making pancakes?" Draco asked with a raised brow.

The boy shrugged, "She says you and mum should wake up and come eat before it gets cold."

While Draco was conversing with his son, the little girl had crawled across the bed and had snuggled herself against her mother. Hermione had pulled the little girl into her arms and was stroking her back with her fingertips, humming a soft tune. Draco smiled at the pair before turning back to his son.

"Tell her we'll be in there in a moment, Jasper. Take Lyra with you."

Jasper nodded and climbed out of the bed, making his way around to the side where Hermione and was snuggling with the toddler. Her brown eyes fluttered open and she smiled sleepily at Jasper, lifting her arm to pull him into a hug, pressing both children to her chest.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

"Morning, mum." Jasper said, kissing his mother's cheek.

"Tell your father to put down his paper and make sure that your mother doesn't burn the house down." Hermione told the boy with a chuckle.

"I will." The boy said, obediently. "Come on Li-Li. Let's go eat breakfast." He said, tugging on the hand of the toddler.

The toddler pulled the pacifier from her mouth and frowned at the boy. "No. Li-Li mummy." She protested, clinging to her mother.

Hermione pulled her fingers through Lyra's blonde curls and nuzzled her nose against her daughter's. "Go with Jasper, Lyra. Mummy will be in the kitchen shortly. I'll bet if you ask nicely, _maman_ will give you some chocolate milk."

The toddler's eyes lit up upon hearing her mother's words and she climbed over the side of the bed, her feet hitting the floor with a thump. "Chok-it?"

Jasper laughed and tugged his sister out of the room, "Yes, Li-Li, chocolate milk."

When the pair exited the room, Hermione turned over in the bed and snuggled up to her husband, wrapping her arm around his waist and resting her head on his chest. Draco dropped a kiss on the crown of her head and pulled her tightly against him.

"Happy Anniversary, honey." Draco murmured against her curls.

"Happy Anniversary, Draco." Hermione said, closing her eyes and listening to the sound of his heartbeat with a smile playing on her lips.

"We should really go make sure Astoria isn't causing irreparable damage to the kitchen." Draco said.

"Why is she even cooking?" Hermione laughed, pushing herself off of her husband planting a kiss on his lips.

"Scorpius probably talked her into it given that you weren't down there to cook breakfast this morning." Draco said, sitting up in their bed and stretching his arms above his head.

Hermione slipped out from beneath the silk sheets and pulled on one of Draco's t-shirts and a pair of cotton shorts which had been discarded on the floor, twisting her hair into a bun and securing it with a hair tie. "Blaise should know better than to let her anywhere near the kitchen." She muttered as she made her way towards the door. "You remember what happened last time."

Draco slipped out of the bed and pulled on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt, following Hermione out of their room. "I know. I was afraid the smell would never go away." Draco said, wrinkling his nose.

When they entered the kitchen, they found it in complete disarray. There was a stack of pancakes which looked either over cooked or undercooked and the countertops were covered in flour, batter, and various fruits and sauces. Astoria's robes were dotted with white handprints and there was a smudge of pancake batter running across her cheek, looking thoroughly flustered and on the verge of tears. Scorpius wielded a spatula and was attempting to move one pancake from the pan to the plate.

Blaise sat in his dressing robe at the countertop bar with Lyra perched on his lap, both looking intently at the Daily Prophet the man was holding. Jasper sat nearby with a glass of chocolate milk, blowing bubbles through his straw while watching the chaos with a studious expression as though he was attempting to divine what the next thing to go wrong would be.

Hermione frowned and broke away from Draco, crossing the room and cupping Astoria's cheeks in her palms. "Tori, what are you doing?" She asked gently, swiping the batter off of the woman's cheek with her thumb.

"You just make it look so easy, _mon ange_ …" Astoria said solemnly, resting her forehead against Hermione's. "… and I just wanted to do something nice for our family."

Hermione pressed a simple, loving peck against Astoria's lips, nuzzling their noses together. "You do amazing things for our family every day," she said with a kind smile, pushing a lock of Astoria's dark brown hair behind her ear.

Draco watched the two women with a smile and ruffled his son's blonde hair as Scorpius ladled the batter into the pan to make another pancake. His eyes drifted to Blaise and their youngest daughter as they flipped through the morning copy of the Daily Prophet with identical looks of concentration on their faces though one was reading words and the other was exploring the pictures.

"Go get cleaned up, Tori and I'll take care of this." Hermione urged, gently moving the younger woman towards the stairs.

As Astoria ascended the stairs, Hermione turned and scowled at her husband, pushing the paper to the countertop and waving a finger in his face. "Blaise Zabini, what on earth were you thinking?"

Blaise eyed his wife, his green eyes twinkling mischievously as he captured the offending finger in his hand. "Good morning to you too, _tesoro_." He said, lifting her hand to his lips.

She yanked her hand away and crossed her arms over her chest, indignantly. "Don't you _tesoro_ me." She admonished, not catching the smirk that crossed Draco's face from across the kitchen as he started to clean up the mess on the countertops with a wave of his wand. Scorpius stood next to his father, biting his lip to quell his laughter.

Lyra began to bounce in Blaise's lap as she excitedly slapped a picture on the page the Prophet was open to with a squeal and a giggle. Blaise set the blonde child on the floor and handed her the page she was looking at, watching her waddle over to her brother to show him whatever it was had her so excited.

"Don't you remember what happened the last time Tori tried to cook?" Hermione scowled, her eyes narrowed on the tall Italian.

Blaise slipped off of his chair and pulled his arms around the irritated witch. "Draco, will you tell your wife to calm down?" He chucked, flashing a charming smile at the blonde man.

Draco snorted a laugh as he helped Scorpius sort through the pancakes, setting aside those that could be salvaged from those that were going to be promptly deposited in the rubbish bin. "You're the one who didn't stop Astoria from trying to cook, she's your wife right now."

Blaise rolled his eyes and put on his best pleading, pouty expression and stared straight into his wife's amber eyes. "Forgive me, _tesoro_?"

Hermione uncrossed her arms and feathered a kiss just under the line of his jaw. "Only because it's our anniversary."

"I'll take it," Blaise chuckled, swatting her playfully on the bottom as she stepped away and went to appraise the pancakes Draco and Scorpius had sorted. Noting the stack had grown significantly smaller, she pulled several ingredients down from the cabinets and expertly mixed a bowl of fresh batter, tossing in several blueberries. She smiled at her son and handed Scorpius the ladle so he could scoop the pancake batter into the pan.

"Are you ready for tomorrow, Scorp?" She asked, watching the eleven-year-old as he carefully moved the batter from the bowl to the pan.

"I think so, mum." Scorpius replied.

"What house are you hoping for?" She asked, secretly hoping that her years of raising the boy would've given him _some_ Gryffindor traits, despite the fact that his three other parents were Slytherins.

Draco rolled his eyes as he rested his arms around Blaise's shoulders from behind. "Isn't it obvious, Hermione?" He asked with just a bit too much confidence as Lyra latched herself onto his leg. Draco looked down at the cherub, picking her up and resting her on his hip. Blaise turned around and handed the little girl a blueberry which she promptly popped in her mouth.

"This one will be in Slytherin too." Blaise mused, wiping the blueberry juice off of her face.

Jasper looked up from behind the book he had been reading as he joined his family in the kitchen, standing near his mother who wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "What about Jade?"

Blaise smiled as his son. "We won't know for a while until after she is born." Draco squeezed the Italian man's shoulder, knowing how excited they all were that Astoria was pregnant.

Astoria returned to the kitchen in a set of fresh robes, looking much more relaxed than she had when she left. In fact, not a hair was out of place on her head and she had charmed her dark brown hair into crisp ringlets which were held back from her face by a silver comb. She secured an earring into her right ear, her heels clicking on the wooden floor as she entered the kitchen.

Blaise stood up and crossed the room, pressing his hand against Astoria's swollen abdomen hoping to feel the movement within. "Better?" He asked with a loving smirk.

Astoria nodded with a subdued smile, rising to her toes to kiss Blaise on the cheek. "Better." She said, placing her own hand on top of his, feeling the growing life inside of her abdomen dance at his touch. "Happy anniversary, Blaise."

Blaise pulled the petite woman tightly into his arms and hugged her tightly to his chest. "Happy anniversary, _cara_."

Astoria moved into the kitchen and took Lyra out of Draco's arms, wiping the remaining blueberry juice from the toddler's mouth while chattering at her quietly in French with an animated expression, despite the sadness still present in her eyes.

"I think I want Slytherin." Scorpius said, after some thought as he pulled a perfectly cooked pancake from the pan under Hemione's watchful gaze.

"You'll do great no matter what house you end up in, _mon lapin_." Astoria said, watching the interaction between her first born and his other mother. The kitchen was no longer in a state of disarray and the pancakes that were coming out of the pan looked positively delicious.

With a flick of her wand, Hermione levitated the pancakes and the rest of the accoutrements to their large dining room table, watching her family settle around it. Draco sat at the head of the table with Astoria to his right and Scorpius to his left. Lyra was settled in a highchair next to Astoria with Hermione on her other side. Blaise sat to Hermione's right at the other end of the table with Jasper on his left. The family chattered idly through breakfast until plates were cleaned, bellies were full, and one particularly messy little girl had managed to coat her blonde curls in syrup, despite Astoria's careful attention.

….

"How long is your shift today, love?" Draco asked as he walked with Astoria towards the floo in the entrance hall.

"I should be back in time for dinner." She replied as Draco pulled her cloak from a hook nearby and slipped it around her shoulders with care. "Are you going into the office later?"

Draco nodded, cupping the brunette's cheek with his hand. "Blaise and I have a meeting with the board in about an hour and then I'll be in the potions lab for the rest of the day." Draco tilted her head so her blue eyes met his, kissing his wife firmly.

"Happy anniversary, Tori." He whispered against her lips, hearing a contented sigh escape her own.

"Happy anniversary, _mon coeur_." Astoria replied, her hands pressing against Draco's chest. "Is Hermione working today?"

"No, she called off. She's taking Lyra and Jasper to the Granger's for the day and then is taking Scorpius to get one or two last minute things from Diagon Alley before he leaves tomorrow."

Astoria pressed her cheek against Draco's chest with a discontented sigh. "I can't believe it's already time…" She said quietly, leaning against her husband for support.

"Me neither, Tori." He said gently, running his fingertips over her arms. "Our little boy is growing up."

Astoria nodded, pulling back to smile at her husband, though Draco didn't miss the sadness contained therein. "At least we still have a few more years with Jasper before he leaves for Hogwarts." She murmured.

Draco chuckled, "and even longer until Lyra and Jade go." He pressed his hand to her abdomen, feeling the little life growing within wiggling within her mother's stomach.

"Our family means the world to me." Astoria said quietly, adjusting her cloak around her shoulders before glancing at the clock.

"I love our family too, Astoria." He said with a genuine smile, tossing a handful of floo powder into the fire place, knowing she would be late if she lingered any longer. "I'll see you tonight, sweetheart."

….

Blaise wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist as she stood at the kitchen sink with a squirming, naked eighteen-month-old who hated taking a bath. Blaise rested his chin on Hermione's shoulder as she poured water over their daughter, chuckling at the child. She blew a stray curl which had fallen out of her messy bun away from her face with a puff of air while she lathered her hands with shampoo, determined to get the syrup out of Lyra's hair.

"You could just use a _scourgify_ , you know." Blaise said, with a playful nip to her shoulder.

"No soap!" the little girl protested, attempting to wiggle out of her mother's reach.

Hermione raised an eyebrow and stared at the toddler. "Yes soap." She said firmly to the toddler, running her fingers gently through the girl's curls, working the shampoo into a lather. "We don't have to use magic for everything, husband." Hermione laughed. "Besides, it doesn't get her nearly as clean."

"Where did our sons run off to?" Blaise asked, noting that Jasper had slipped out after breakfast not long after Scorpius asked to be excused.

Hermione picked up her wand and shielded Lyra's face while she poured water through the girl's blonde curls, rinsing the shampoo and the remainder of the syrup from her hair. "I saw them sneaking out into the gardens with their brooms after breakfast. The boys probably want to spend some time together before Scorpius leaves for Hogwarts tomorrow."

"And you didn't protest…?" Blaise asked cautiously, as he poked Lyra in the belly with his finger, knowing how angry Hermione had been when he and Draco bought the brooms for the boys for Christmas.

The little girl giggled, "Papa 'gin!"

Hermione turned her head and kissed her husband on his cheek. "I was a bit busy with little miss here." She said with a laugh. "Besides, Scorpius is a responsible young man and he will watch out for his brother."

Blaise cast her a wary glance and poked the toddler in her stomach again as Hermione turned off the water, eliciting another fit of giggles before reaching for the towel on the counter. Hermione stepped out of the way so Blaise could wrap the towel around the squirming toddler, drying her off.

"When are you taking the kids to your parents?" He asked, holding Lyra against his chest while he dried her hair gently with the towel.

Hermione glanced at her watch. "In about an hour. Can you get Lyra dressed and I'll pack them a bag?"

Blaise nodded and carried the little girl up the stairs.

….

Draco wandered outside, tucking his hands in the pockets of his sleep pants as he watched Scorpius and Jasper flying just a bit too close to Astoria's roses. Luckily, they didn't graze them, but if their mother knew, she wouldn't be happy.

"Watch out for your mother's roses!" He called out, settling down in a chair as he watched the boys fly.

Jasper especially was showing a talent for the skill given his young age. While he favored his mother with his intelligence and love of books and learning, he had also somehow managed to inherit Draco's love of flying as well, despite the fact that he knew Jasper was biologically Blaise's son. Jasper was bright and well rounded, nearly everything he did turned out well as though he were born with _felix felicis_ in his blood.

While Scorpius looked very similar to Draco when he was that age, his personality was eerily similar to Astoria's. He was a kind and charismatic boy with a huge heart and a firm sense of self preservation. He applied careful thought to everything he did and was a charmer, which Draco was certain was due to Blaise's influence. All he had to do was look at Astoria the right way and she would cave into whatever his demands were, which is why Hermione had trained their wife to send Scorpius to her whenever he asked for something. Hermione was not so easily swayed and would judge the request fairly.

Lyra, on the other hand, was proving to be too much like Draco for his own comfort. She was a serious, mischievous little girl who took nonsense for anyone, even though she barely eighteen months. She loved Jasper and followed him around the house, getting into as much mischief as she could. Draco fully expected that she would be their first child to break a bone. Apart from Hermione's eyes, she had certainly inherited her mother's bravery.

Draco was curious to see who Jade would take after in their family given that Astoria's due date was rapidly approaching.

Blaise walked out onto the patio with Lyra balanced on his hip. He set her down on the ground where she toddled out to the grass, watching her brothers fly above her head. Scorpius called out to her girl, "Li-Li, watch!" drawing her attention before doing a barrel roll mid-air causing the little girl to giggle and reach her arms up.

"Li-Li up!" She shouted at her brothers. Both boys settled in front of her in the grass and looked at their fathers who were sitting in matching chairs with their fingers interlaced.

"Can we, dad?" Jasper asked hesitantly, looking at Draco.

Draco glanced over at Blaise for approval before turning back to their son. "Don't take her up more than a meter or so off of the ground or your mum will start spitting fiendfyre."

Eight-year-old Jasper grinned and picked up the toddler, placing her in front of him on his broom, while Scorpius stood nearby. Lyra's hands gripped the broomstick tightly as Jasper wrapped a protective arm around his sister's waist. "Ready Li-Li?"

"Up!" Lyra commanded. Jasper kicked off of the ground and settled them about a foot off of the ground with Scorpius flying next to them as they took their sister slowly around the gardens.

Draco turned to Blaise, lowering his voice. "Do you think they realize how unconventional our family is?"

"Love is love, _marito_." Blaise said, squeezing Draco's hand. "Scorpius and Jasper may realize something sooner than later, if they don't already, but we've always raised them with love and that's what matters."

"You're right, of course." Draco said, rubbing his thumb over the soft, tanned skin of Blaise's hand before parting Blaise's lips with his own in a soft kiss.

"Happy Anniversary, Draco." Blaise said, smiling at his oldest friend as he pulled back from the kiss.

"Happy Anniversary, Blaise." Draco replied, turning his attention back to their children, watching as the three children laughed and giggled as they flew around the gardens.

Hermione stepped outside, a bag slung over her shoulder. After packing a bag for the children, she took the time to dress herself in a simple navy-blue wrap dress and a pair of sensible flats. Her mahogany curls were tamed and cascaded down her back in soft waves.

"Great Morgana." Hermione swore, dropping the bag on the floor and glaring at her husbands after witnessing her youngest child on a broomstick. "Do one of you want to tell me why my baby is currently on a flying death stick?" She questioned, gesturing wildly to where the children were flying around the garden.

Draco released Blaise's hand and pulled her down into his lap, wrapping an arm securely around her waist as Blaise grasped her hands. "Calm down, Hermione. Our bed is higher than that and she's always rolling around on it in the mornings."

"Besides," Blaise chimed in, squeezing her hands, "Jasper has her firmly around the waist and Scorpius is right next to them. Weren't you just saying how responsible Scorpius is? Lyra will be fine."

"Are you about to take them to your parents?" Draco asked.

Hermione nodded, smiling as she watched how careful Lyra's brothers were being with their youngest daughter. "Yes. I'll drop off Lyra and Jasper and then come back for Scorpius."

"Can you check on my new robes at Malkin's while you're in town?" Blaise asked.

"I could also use a few things from the apothecary."

Hermione's curls bounced with laughter. "Yes, I'll check on your robes," she said to Blaise before turning to Draco "and just get me a list of what you need before I get back. I think we'll also surprise Tori for lunch."

"She'll like that." Draco said, "She's worried about Scorpius heading off to Hogwarts tomorrow."

Hermione frowned, her forehead creased with worry. "I know, we talked about it yesterday before you two came home from the office, not to mention how out of sorts she was this morning."

Hermione glanced down at her watch, noting the time. "We'd better go." She said, leaning over to kiss Blaise from her place on Draco's lap before he pulled her back and kissed her on the cheek.

"I love you both." She said, standing up and straightening her dress.

"We love you too." Blaise said, taking Draco's hand in his once more, interlacing their fingers for a few minutes before they too had to move on with their day.

….

"Healer Malfoy?" a young woman said hesitantly as she approached Astoria who was finishing up with her last patient before her lunch break, drawing her wand over the patient's abdomen with careful, practiced movements.

"Yes, Emily?" She said recognizing the intern's voice but keeping her eyes trained on the diagnostic spells she was running over the young woman on the hospital bed.

"Hermione and Scorpius are in your office." The young woman said.

"Thank you, Emily. Can you tell them I will be there in a moment?"

Astoria turned to her patient and offered the young woman her hand to help her sit up, clasping the young woman's hand between her own. "Congratulations, Mrs. Ellington. You're having a beautiful baby girl and she appears to be in perfect health."

Astoria sauntered down the hallway of the maternity floor towards her office with a renewed spring in her step, knowing she would able to spend a few extra minutes with her son before he left for school tomorrow. She turned the door to her office, finding her son standing there with Hermione behind him a hand resting on his shoulder. Scorpius held a bouquet of simple wildflowers in his hands.

"Hi _maman_." He said, holding the wildflowers out to her. Astoria took them and pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly against her. He was taking after his father in height, already the top of his head coming up nearly to her chin.

" _Bonjour, mon lapin_ ," Astoria said brightly, "these are absolutely lovely."

"Mum picked them out," he said albeit a bit muffled due to the hold his mother had on him.

Hermione laughed and took Astoria's hand in her own. "I only pointed him in the right direction."

"Thank you, Hermione." Astoria said, leaning over their son to nuzzle her nose against her wife's.

Hermione captured Astoria's lips in a brief kiss, knowing Scorpius was trapped between them. "You're welcome, love. We're here to take you to lunch, if you have time."

"I have about an hour," Astoria said, glancing at the clock on the wall as she released Scorpius from the firm grip she had on him.

With a quick _auguamenti_ and a transfigured vase, Astoria's flowers were safely sitting atop her desk and the three were on their way out of the hospital. They took the Floo to Diagon Alley and settled into a small café which was one of Astoria's favorites. Astoria was chatting animatedly with their son while Hermione watched, stirring her cup of tea with a spoon. Hermione knew that Scorpius's departure was hitting Astoria the hardest and she worried about her wife.

" _Maman,_ there's James and Albus, can I go say hello?"Scorpius asked, pointing out the window as a family was walking down the street.

"Don't be long, dear." Astoria said with a sigh, watching the boy scramble out of his seat and dart out of the door.

Hermione reached across the table and took Astoria's hands in her own. "I'm worried about you. I know you're trying to hide it, but you forget how well I know you." She said, running her thumbs delicately across Astoria's knuckles.

Astoria stared out of the window, watching Scorpius embrace Albus as the rest of the Potter family looked on, laughing and smiling. Astoria remembered one of their children went to Hogwarts last year and they would be sending their second son this year while her own family sent Scorpius.

Astoria closed her eyes and breathed the words she'd been hesitant to say for the past week. She'd been doing her best to put on a good show while hiding her emotions, but she knew Hermione always saw through her. "With Scorpius going to school and Jade coming soon, Addy has been on my mind a lot more lately."

Hermione moved out of her seat and slid into the seat next to Astoria, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her closer to her. Pressing her lips against Astoria's ear, Hermione whispered in soothing dulcet tones, "Oh _ma moitié,_ what happened with Adhara will not happen with Jade. We can go see Addy today, _si cela va aider_ , Tori. Blaise and Draco won't mind if we slip away for a few hours." Hermione knew the lyrical sound of French was comforting to Astoria given that she had lived there for several years following the end of the war. While she didn't use it often, she pulled on her knowledge of the language when needed, and it was certainly needed if Astoria was upset.

Astoria blinked away the tears that had formed in her eyes at the mention of their deceased daughter, putting her mask up once again knowing they were in public. "Tomorrow," she said firmly, "after we put Scorpius on the train."

Hermione nodded, linking her fingers once more with those of her wife, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Tomorrow. _Nous irons la voir demain_."

"I'm sorry to be like this today of all days, _mon ange._ " Astoria sighed, nuzzling her head against Hermione's shoulder.

"Our anniversary doesn't matter nearly as much to me as you do. Can you take off the rest of the day?"

Astoria nodded as Scorpius rejoined his mothers at the table in the small café, chattering on about how excited he was about going to Hogwarts after having seen James and Albus.

….

Draco stepped through the floo and into their living room brushing the ashes from his suit. He and Blaise had a successful meeting with the rest of their executive board and Draco spent the remainder of his day in his potions lab tinkering with a new draught he was working on while Blaise took care of the business side of their company and held meetings with a few investors. All in all, it had been a relatively good day but he was glad to be home.

The house was strangely quiet as Blaise stepped out of the floo just after Draco, the pair moving away from the entrance hall towards the main living area. "Where's Hermione?" Blaise questioned, glancing around the living room, knowing she had taken the day off to take Scorpius to Diagon Alley before the big day tomorrow.

"…and the kids?" Draco added, just as confused, glancing towards the large grandfather clock to check the time. "Astoria will still be at the hospital, but Hermione should've returned with Jasper and Lyra by now."

"Maybe she left them with her folks a bit longer?" Blaise mused, shrugging out of his jacket.

"I'm going to check the study." Draco said, walking towards the back of the house with Blaise padding along not far behind him. Draco noticed the door was ajar and he peeked inside through the crack in the door, motioning for Blaise to come closer.

Hermione was sitting on the leather sofa with a book in her hand, wearing the same dress from earlier in the day. Astoria wore a set of flannel pajama bottoms and a tank top, her eyes were closed and her head was resting in Hermione's lap. As she appeared to sleep, Hermione's fingers were tracing protective runes over Astoria's arm, much as Draco had done to her earlier that morning. Sensing movement from outside of the room, Hermione closed the book gently and looked towards the crack in the door, seeing two sets of eyes on them. She beckoned them inside with a finger and then placed that same finger over her mouth before pointing to Astoria.

Blaise dropped a kiss on the top of Hermione's head as Draco knelt in front of her placing his hand on her thigh, noting how Astoria's eyelids were rimmed with red. He frowned, whispering as quietly as he could. "What happened?"

Hermione bit her bottom lip and took Blaise's hand in her own. "Addy," she whispered, knowing no further explanation was needed.

Draco closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Hermione's thigh. She felt Blaise release her hand and move in front of the couch where Draco knelt before her. While Hermione carded her fingers through Draco's hair, Blaise rubbed gentle circles on his back.

Hermione and Blaise shared a knowing look and Blaise kissed the blonde man's temple and gazed lovingly at the sleeping woman before leaving the study.

….

Blaise apparated into the backyard of a quaint house in a suburban area of Britain. He peeked through the window and into the kitchen, watching as Jean Granger desperately tried to get Lyra to eat what appeared to be peas. He chuckled to himself and let himself in the back door which led directly into the kitchen.

"Papa!" Jasper shouted as he closed his book, jumping up from the table and wrapping his arms around his father's middle.

"Hey kid." He said with a goofy smile, ruffling Jasper's hair and then patting him on the back.

"Blaise! What a surprise." Jean said, walking away from the table to embrace her son-in-law.

"Hello Jean." He said, flashing her a charming smile as she hugged him. "Looking lovely as always, I see."

"Oh shush," the older woman said with a playful swat to his chest. "We were expecting Hermione."

Blaise lowered his voice so his son wouldn't hear, "Astoria's having a rough day."

Jean nodded, glancing back towards Lyra and Jasper who had rejoined his sister at the table. Lyra was smashing peas intently with her index finger with a delighted grin on her small features while Jasper had immersed himself back in his book, a studious expression on his face. "They can stay, if you need us to keep them."

Blaise shook his head. "No, Hermione wants them home. Where is Scorpius?"

Jean laughed, crossing her arms over her chest. "With Richard in the lounge, playing something on that infernal game system."

"If I had more time, I would join them." He said with a sly grin, walking over and lifting Lyra out of her highchair. "Hello, _patatina_. Did you miss me?"

Lyra smacked a messy kiss on his cheek. "Papa." She said, throwing her chubby arms around his neck.

Blaise wrinkled his nose and wiped the remnants of peas off of his cheek while Jean chuckled from across the room. "I'll grab Scorpius."

….

When Blaise arrived back to their home with the children, he found a much happier sight than when he had left. Hermione was singing to herself as she bustled around the kitchen preparing dinner while Draco and Astoria were wrapped around each other on the couch, watching something on the television that Hermione had insisted they purchase.

Jasper skipped over to the pair on the couch and crawled up into Astoria's lap while Scorpius took Lyra's hand and led her into the kitchen. The oldest boy set a large Tupperware container on the counter.

"Nana sent cookies." Scorpius said, lifting Lyra to sit at the bar with him, watching their mother move around the kitchen with a practiced grace.

Without so much as turning around, Hermione replied as she sprinkled herbs over chicken breasts, "Move them further away from Lyra, dear."

Scorpius looked over to the little girl who had nearly gotten the top off of the container and was looking like she had just found treasure.

"How is it you always know?" Scorpius laughed, scooting the box away from his sister.

Hermione turned around from the myriad of spices before her and winked at her eldest, a delighted sparkle in her eyes. "Magic."

Scorpius groaned. " _Mum_ … that was almost as bad as one of Papa's jokes."

Picking up the chicken breasts in a pair of tongs, Hermione carefully placed them into a cast iron pan on the stove before turning back around to face her son. "Will you let everyone know dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes?"

Scorpius slid off of the chair with a nod. "Sure, mum." He said, walking out of the kitchen and towards the living room where the rest of their family was.

Hermione caught Lyra trying to reach the box of cookies once more before scooping the little girl up in to her arms. "I don't think so, miss Lyra." Lyra put on her best pouty expression as Hermione balanced the toddler on her hip, turning the chicken over in the pan.

….

After the children were put to bed, Astoria padded her way to her bedroom with a yawn. It had been a tiring, emotional day and she knew she would need rest in order to get through tomorrow. She brushed her teeth, combed out her ringlets and slipped beneath the pristine, white duvet with a sigh. It wasn't long before the mattress behind her sank with the weight of another person climbing into the bed, slipping an arm over her waist, feeling her wife entwine her fingers with her own. Astoria snuggled back into the petite form which had molded herself around her body without another word as she attempted to drift off to sleep.

Astoria felt the mattress dip again several moments later as a larger form settled in front of her, his hand resting on her hip as his lips pressed a kiss to her forehead. The scent of his familiar cologne instantly helped to calm her racing mind which was preventing her sleep. She knew Draco had settled into the bed behind Hermione, knowing his arm had snaked across Hermione to rest on her him, his fingers intertwined with Blaise's.

It wasn't often the four slept together in the same bed, usually pairing off in twos, or occasionally threes when one of them felt the need to sleep alone, but it was what they needed tonight. They would need all of their collective strength as they sent their oldest son off on his first great adventure.

"I love you." Astoria whispered into the darkness.

"We love you too," she heard three voices echo in unison as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	2. Jasper's Birthday

A/N: I just couldn't let this sweet little family go! So, here is another adventure for them!

...

Hermione was standing over the stove turning several rashers of bacon in a pan when Jasper practically bounced down the stairs and into the kitchen from the room he shared with his brother. She treasured the precious moments she was able to spend with her only early riser fully aware of the rest of her family would sleep until noon if at all possible. But she and Jasper relished in the early mornings when the dew had settled on the grass in the garden and the sun was just peeking out above the horizon, just obscuring the stars in the sky which had shone so prominently just hours before.

Turning from her task, she held her arms open to the dark-haired boy, enveloping him in a warm hug. As she ran her fingers through his wavy dark hair which was so reminiscent of his father's, she dropped a chaste kiss atop his head. "Happy birthday, sweetheart."

The beaming smile that rose to his lips made her heart startle. "Thanks, mum!"

Releasing the nine-year old boy, Hermione turned back to the stove and moved the bacon from the pan to a plate with a flick of her wand before casting a warming charm over the plate.

With a twinkle in her eye, Hermione grinned at her second son. "I though you could help me make your favorite muffins this morning."

Jasper pumped his fists in the air with an excited cry and scurried over to the refrigerator, fishing the container of blueberries out before popping several into his mouth. A small amount of juice gathered at the corners of his mouth as he munched on his favorite fruit.

Hermione chuckled taking the container of blueberries from his hand knowing that if allowed, he would eat the entire contents of the container before the batter was even mixed for the blueberry muffins. "You're as bad as Lyra." She teased, her youngest daughter also being incredibly partial to blueberries.

"Can you grab the flour and sugar from the cupboard, sweetheart?" She said as she set the over to pre-heat and retrieved a muffin tin.

"You bet." Jasper's eyes were alight with excitement as he retrieved the requested items and placed them on the countertop next to the other items his mother had gathered.

After he hopped up onto the countertop, Jasper and Hermione quickly measured and mixed the ingredients in a precise way until a thick batter was formed. Jasper dropped the requisite number of blueberries into the mixture, but not before popping a few more of the tiny, sweet fruits into his mouth. The pair carefully spooned the mixture into the lined tin after which Hermione moved the prepared tins to the ovens.

"Are you excited for today?" Hermione asked as she rinsed a washcloth under a stream of warm water, preparing to clean the countertops. While her spouses were partial to scouring charms, Hermione wasn't completely content until she'd used soap, water, and a bit of manual scrubbing.

Jasper climbed onto one of the barstools and popped another blueberry into his mouth. "Yes! It's going to be an awesome day, mum."

Through use of a clever monitoring charm, Hermione heard the coos and babbles of ten-month-old Jade echo in the kitchen. "Sounds like your sister is awake. I'll be right back, J." She said, nothing Jasper was reaching once more for the container of blueberries Hermione had left out on the counter. The boy's appetite for fruit was insatiable. She shook her head in amusement and slipped out of the kitchen to retrieve her youngest daughter.

Hermione padded quietly up the stairs, glancing at the portraits and framed pictures lining the walls of the hallway before opening the door to the nursery. The chubby ten-month-old who was sitting up in the crib, gnawing on a well-loved toy smiled a toothless smile when Hermione entered the room. She grasped and banged at the crib railing as Hermione approached, looking up at her with emerald eyes as she babbled a string of incoherent syllables.

Hermione glanced over to the other small bed in the room where two-year-old Lyra was tangled in her sheets clutching a well-worn stuffed kneazle, still fast asleep. She was fairly certain Lyra wouldn't wake even if a herd of Abraxan thundered through their home.

Quickly making her way to Jade's crib, Hermione cooed and kissed at the little girl as she lifted her up and into her arms. "Well, good morning to you, my precious girl." Jade babbled in return.

After laying the ten-month-old down onto the changing table, Hermione tickled her belly eliciting a raucous giggle from the girl. Having sufficiently distracted her, Hermione quickly changed her diaper with little fuss.

"Come on, little miss. Your brother is awake. It's not every day he turns nine, now is it?" She said as she shifted Jade onto her hip and made her way back downstairs. Jade tugged at Hermione's curls and babbled a string of incoherent syllables in a happy way.

"Hi Jadie!" Jasper hopped off of the barstool and tickled his sister's foot while Hermione noted that there were significantly less blueberries than before. That boy could put away food like no other. "Can I hold her, mum?" He asked, reaching his arms out towards his sister.

Passing Jade to Jasper, Hermione felt a familiar warmth settle in her chest. While Scorpius loved his sisters, Jasper doted on them and was content to play with them for hours. "When you're finished playing or if she gets fussy, go ahead and put her in her high chair." Hermione instructed as Jasper blew a raspberry on Jade's stomach.

Jasper took Jade across the kitchen and into the breakfast nook where he set her on the floor. She immediately took off crawling towards the living room, causing Jasper to chase after her with glee as he babbled their plans for the day to the little girl.

Hermione chuckled at her children and checked the muffins in the oven, noting they weren't quite browned on the tops before taking a carton of eggs from the refrigerator to finish preparing breakfast for the family.

Blaise sauntered sleepily down the stairs in one of his many silk dressing robes and wandered into the kitchen. He yawned and stretched his arms above his head, sniffing the air. He smiled a dreamy smile and wrapped his arms around Hermione from behind. "That smells amazing." He muttered into her ear, his voice rough with sleep.

Relaxing into his embrace, Hermione turned and tilted her head so her husband could kiss her cheek from his position at her back as she busied her hands with cracking eggs into a bowl. "Good morning."

Hermione felt Blaise bury his face in her curls and inhale, causing her to stifle a giggle and a slight eye-roll. She wasn't certain why, but for some reason husbands one and two were nearly obsessed with her mahogany curls. At least her wife had some semblance of sense when it came to her busy mane – she simply tamed it and made it look presentable, as task Hermione still struggled with.

Blaise slid his hands from Hermione's waist to rest on her hips as he watched her work, his thumbs slipping just under the band of her pajama pants. "Is there coffee?"

Waving her wand, a mug of steaming coffee poured itself from the full carafe and was levitated to the bar just next to that day's copy of the Daily Prophet. Blaise hummed in appreciation. "You're an angel, _tesoro."_ He said, pecking her cheek and crossing the kitchen to properly wake up with coffee and the paper.

Astoria joined them next as Hermione was rapidly whisking the eggs with a bit of cream, following by a very sleepy looking Lyra who was carrying the well-worn stuffed kneazle by his tail. She glanced at her wife, who even when just roused from her slumber still managed to appear put together. Like Blaise, Astoria felt the need to wear a silk dressing gown over her dainty pajamas, which Hermione knew was a short lacy night-gown. She and Draco opted for simple, practical t-shirts and cotton pajama pants or shorts while their spouses were partial to silk and lace.

"There's my partner in crime." Blaise exclaimed, lifting Lyra to sit on his lap as they looked at the paper. The two-year-old looked positively grumpy about being roused from her bed so early and snuggled into Henry, her stuffed kneazle, as she laid her head on the counter top. Blaise simply chuckled and rubbed a hand over her back as he read his paper.

Astoria opened the refrigerator and poured herself a glass of orange juice. "I take it Draco and Scorpius are still asleep?" She said, leaning against one of the countertops, surveying the scene. Hermione was scrambling eggs in a pan while Blaise sipped his coffee and read the morning Prophet.

"Scorpius hasn't come down, but Jade and Jasper are in the living room." Hermione said, pulling the muffins out of the oven, at the same time Blaise said "Draco was still asleep when I came down."

Astoria replaced the carton of orange juice in the refrigerator and ran her hand down Hermione's hair, wandlessly taming and relaxing the curls.

Transferring the scrambled eggs into a serving dish, Hermione turned and slipped her arms around Astoria's waist, burying her own face in the crook of the younger woman's neck. "Did you sleep well, Tori?"

Humming in assent, Astoria pressed a kiss to Hermione's temple, slipping her fingers languidly through her wife's now-tame curls. "I'll go rouse the boys. I'm sure Jasper is eager for what we have planned."

"Perfect." Hermione feathered her lips at the juncture of Astoria's neck and shoulder.

Before moving upstairs to wake father and son, Astoria poked her head into the living room to inform the other two children that breakfast was ready.

"I hungwy." A small voice said, refusing to lift her stubborn head of white-blonde curls from the countertop, still clutching her stuffed kneazle.

Folding his paper, Blaise scooped up the little girl into his arms. "Let's get you fed then, Lyra-loo." Hermione smiled at father and daughter, levitating the muffins, scrambled eggs, and rashers of bacon to the table in the breakfast nook. Lyra was so like Draco in her mannerisms but Hermione was fairly certain that Blaise was the girl's favorite parent given the way she had him wrapped around her little finger.

As Jasper settled Jade into her highchair, Astoria stepped back into the kitchen with a smug look on her face, followed by Draco and Scorpius who wore identical looks of sleepy irritation at being awake so early in the day and gave nothing more than mumbled greetings.

At the table, Scorpius rested his head in his hand and his eyelids fluttered, dangerously close to slipping back into sleep as Draco gripped a mug of strong, black coffee in his hands as though it were his lifeline. Jasper and Lyra munched on their blueberry muffins, with Lyra conjuring significantly more crumbs than her brother while Astoria fed Jade small bites of scrambled eggs. Hermione smiled happily at her family as she pulled the wrapper off of her muffin even as Blaise practically moaned after biting into a strip of bacon.

Everyone was in a much better mood following breakfast and coffee. The family gathered in the living room, Hermione and Astoria having directed everyone to dress for the day while they took care of the youngest children and themselves. Scorpius and Jasper appeared to be conspiring in a corner while Astoria wrestled with Jade, who kept trying to remove the headband and bow from her hair. Blaise had picked up the paper from where he had left off from breakfast and Draco was leaning over the back of the couch, reading an article of his shoulder.

Hermione eyed Draco with intrigue and a raise brow the moment she walked into the room, balancing Lyra on her hip. "What on earth are you wearing?" She asked, gesturing to the blonde man as her eyes trailed from the top of his head down to his feet.

Draco glanced down at himself and back up at the curly haired witch. "What's wrong with it?"

Draco was wearing a pair of long plaid golf shorts with crisp white socks, his golf shoes, a light-blue collared shirt, and a dark dragon hide belt. It was then she noticed his set of golf clubs were resting against the hearth of the large fireplace in their living room.

"We're playing mini-golf, Draco, not real golf." She chided, setting a squirming Lyra down onto the ground who ran over and latched herself onto Blaise's leg.

He crossed his arms over his chest, ignoring the look Astoria and Blaise shared between them as their spouses once again began to argue. "The name miniature golf implies that systems, rules, etiquette, and dress of the game of golf exist albeit in miniature form. I expect shorter fairways and perhaps smaller pars." He retorted with narrowed eyes and the beginnings of a haughty sneer.

Hermione snorted a laugh and rolled her eyes. "You're overdressed for it and look ridiculous. Did you buy those shorts when Tori and I were in France visiting Hyperion and Adelaide?"

Astoria's eyes trailed over Draco, frowning as she pushed clipped the bow back into Jade's hair for a third time. "They are rather heinous, _mon coeur._ "

"There is nothing wrong with my shorts." Draco huffed indignantly, sending a pleading look in Blaise's direction.

Blaise chuckled to himself, patting Lyra on the head. "I'm with the ladies. Jeans and trainers will do."

Draco stormed out of the room muttering to himself about ridiculous witches and their lack of knowledge where true golf etiquette was concerned and traitorous husbands while Hermione grinned triumphantly. "Remind me to burn them, later."

The corner of Astoria's mouth lifted in a sly grin as she banished Draco's clubs to the garage. "I'll gladly help."

….

The family arrived at _Par for the Course_ _Miniature Golf_ and piled out of the SUV which Hermione had insisted they purchase a few years ago. Draco and Blaise looked slightly motion sick while Hermione and Astoria simply rolled their eyes at their husbands. It was completely absurd to the ladies that they could fly in the air at ridiculous speeds for hours on end but couldn't handle a twenty-minute trip in a muggle vehicle. As Astoria was settling Jade into a wrap, tucking the ten-month-old against her chest, Scorpius and Jasper took off across the parking lot to greet their friends. Lyra had managed to con Draco into picking her up with a perfectly placed pout and a pair of raised arms. That little girl had her daddy wrapped around her tiny, chubby fingers.

Hermione locked their SUV and tucked the keys into her pocket before bounding over to greet several of their friends as they arrived to celebrate Jasper's birthday.

"Thank you so much for coming!" she exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Harry Potter in a hug. Behind them, thirteen-year-old James and eleven-year-old Albus appeared to be conspiring with Jasper and Scorpius while nine-year-old Lily stayed close to her mother's side until she spotted ten-year-old Rose arrive with Ron and Lavender Brown. Lavender was grasping the hands of their youngest children – a pair of four-year-old twins, Violet and Basil, who were every bit as mischievous as Fred and George.

Blaise stepped up behind her to shake hands with Harry and Ron while Hermione embraced Ginny and Lavender. Astoria and Draco soon joined the group with Theodore and Luna Nott in tow. Their only child, eleven-year-old Selena, quickly joined Lily and Rose. The moment Lyra saw Luna she wiggled out of her father's arms and ran over the eccentric witch who immediately lifted her into her arms. Had Hermione not given birth to the child, she was certain Lyra could have easily passed for Luna's own with her fair skin and hair.

Hermione, ultimately being the most responsible one in the group, led their party forward as the men fell into step near the back of the group, herding the children forward but being just far enough back that their respective wives couldn't quite make out their conversation.

"What do you say to a friendly wager, gentlemen?" Theodore Nott asked, placing his hand on the back of the heads of one of the Weasley twins and directing the child back towards the group of children.

"What did you have in mind, Nott?" asked Harry, pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose, though his eyes were trained on the giggling group of girls and the scheming group of older boys knowing there would likely be trouble later.

"We could make it interesting by betting on our wives," suggested Ron as he gestured to the group of women who were clustered around Hermione. His own wife was cooing over Jade while Astoria was kneeling on the ground having what appeared to be a serious conversation with Violet and Basil. There were times when he felt envious of the Malfoy-Zabini family, the way they parented was so fluid that it even translated to the children of their friends.

"I don't fancy having Hermione hex my balls off and banning me from our bed." Draco said, sharing a knowing look with his husband who simply shook his head with a smirk.

"Absolutely not. If that witch ever heard we were betting on her, she'd take Astoria and the children and move to France with Adelaide and Hyperion before we could even think about groveling at her feet."

Ron coughed, though it sounded suspiciously like the word _whipped._

"If not our wives, how about a competition between the five of us?" Theo offered, barely noticing how Luna was gesturing wildly at Lyra, who was giving her own emphatic gestures back.

"Winner has to wear Draco's golf shorts for a week?" Blaise suggested, teasingly though the others laughed.

Draco huffed indignantly and crossed his arms of his chest. "There was nothing wrong with my shorts."

"Is he talking about the ugly plaid ones he bought when Hermione and Astoria were in France?" Harry inquired, recalling the wizard had worn them when the five of them played a round of golf a few months ago.

"The very same."

Ron scoffed. "You wouldn't catch me dead near those shorts. I'd much rather wager galleons."

"That's what makes it so much fun, Ronnie-kins." Theo teased. "Winner gets a bag of shiny gold, loser has to wear Draco's ugly shorts… and buys the first round of drinks the next time we're all at the pub."

Ron scowled and rolled his eyes, taking a putter and neon colored golf ball from his wife with a wide smile and a kiss to her cheek. "Fine, I'm in. Who else?"

The rest of the men were in agreement as they helped their wives pass of clubs, though the twins' had to be taken back up because they immediately started trying to sword fight. Draco had to fish Lyra's ball out of the nearest source of water because the little imp had thrown it for all he she was worth yelling "Daddy! Snitch!" since her ball happened to be golden-rod in color.

Hermione took the older children to the side and explained the rules of miniature golf clearly indicating she would tolerate no nonsense or cheating (magical or mundane) from any of them. If she caught them, they would be forced to sit out and she might even restrict their access to cake. The possibility of no cake made the eight older children suddenly stand up a little taller and firmly not their heads.

Astoria chuckled at her wife's serious demeanor and leaned over to Lavender and Ginny. "She means it too."

Ginny cocked her head to the side, watching Luna and Lyra. "What are those two doing?"

"I suspect they've invented their own language" said Lavender, who started bouncing a fussing Jade as she watched Luna and Lyra wildly gesticulate at one another.

Astoria shook her head in disbelief. "That child. She'll have Jasper trained in whatever language it is they've invented in a week, you mark my words."

On the first hole, Draco learned just how much more difficult miniature golf can be than real golf when he struggled to hit his ball just right so it would bounce around the barriers rather than right back at him. He muttered under his breath cursing whoever designed the course as Harry and Ron, who had completed the hole at par, chuckled and teased him for his apparent lack of skill, despite the fact that Draco was normally quite the skilled golfer. Apparently, this skill hadn't quite translated to miniature golf.

After several rounds, Rose was the surprising champion of the children with only Jasper and Selena trailing behind her by one point, though they were still several mores holes to go. Scorpius managed to get a hole in one by hitting his ball through the mouth of a motorized crocodile, landing it directly in the hole but was currently in last place amongst the children, much to his chagrin. Albus attempted to comfort his friend, but it seemed that the miniature golf gene had not been inherited by the Malfoy boys. Lyra, who had been left in Draco's care, continued to throw the "snitch" for him to catch, no matter how many times he explained to her it was a golf ball and not a snitch. It was thoroughly distracting him from the game, as he was currently in last place, though Theo, ironically enough, wasn't that much further ahead of him.

Hermione lined up each shot with a studied precision while Ginny did much the same – their competitiveness leading them to leave Lavender and Astoria to corral the twins while Jade slept in the wrap nestled against Astoria's chest.

All in all, the day was going quite well until Lily did a bit of accidental magic when James began to tease her while she was trying to usurp his position in third place. The bit of accidental magic caused his face to break out in bright red, oozing pimples. A trip to the loo with his father and he came out looking much less splotchy. From there on, James managed to keep his teasing to a minimum where his younger sister was concerned. Lily looked rather smug about the entire incident as Jasper gave her a high-five. The two were thick as thieves after that.

Noting the sweet way that Jasper and Lily laughed and stayed close to one another, Blaise leaned over to his still-in-last-place husband and whispered in his ear. "I think our friends might just become our family in about ten years, _marito._ "

Draco chuckled as he cradled a sleeping Lyra against his chest as he made his next shot one handed. "You might be right." He said, watching the ball sail over a slight hill and land exactly two centimeters away from the hole.

"Oi, Potter." As Harry turned to look towards Draco, the blonde man gestured at their children and exchanged a knowing smile with his school-yard nemesis turned friend. Potter gave him a sage nod and wink. Jasper and Lily were standing a bit closer together than normal and Jasper was carrying her putter for her to the next hole.

"And who said chivalry was dead?" Blaise remarked, proud of the manners he had instilled in his son.

When they reached the last hole, Draco was still very clearly in last place, though he pretended not to care that he had to wear his own shorts (which were fine, thank you very much) and buy the blokes a round at the pub. After Ron laughed a bit too hard in relief that he wouldn't have to wear Draco's shorts, his shorts suspiciously turned into an identical copy of the ones Draco was wearing. Everyone assumed it was Blaise coming to the defense of his husband, but in reality Theo was just trying not to give himself away.

Hermione, naturally, had triumphed over all of the adults, beating out Ginny by two points. Jasper and Selena ended up tied for the children after Lily had accidentally knocked one of her balls into a small water feature. The twins had managed to get soaking wet after falling into the exact same water feature on "accident", or so they said. Lavender was ready to hang them both out to dry until Hermione stepped in and they suspiciously fell back in line and even apologized to their mother.

The adults and children turned in their putters and neon colored golf balls and gathered back at the Malfoy-Zabini residence for cake and presents. Lyra managed to nearly color her blonde curls blue thanks to the icing on the cake and Blaise was hosing her down in the large farmhouse sink in their kitchen with the vegetable sprayer. Even though he got out most of the icing, the little girls hair was still tinged blue.

The older children were flying around the gardens on brooms playing with the child size Quidditch set (with foam bludgers) which was a present to Jasper from the Potter clan. Rose, Lily, Albus, and Scorpius played Chaser while Jasper and Selena played Keeper while James tried his hand at playing Beater. Ginny sat with Draco, Ron, Theo, and Harry commentating on the children's Quidditch game, all parents equally proud of their children, though Selena kept becoming distracted by what could only be described as the movements of the clouds overhead.

Luna sat with Hermione and Lavender, the three witches keeping a close eye on the twins who were entertaining a giggling Jade. Basil was playing Peek-A-Boo with Jade between Violet's gentle tickles. Lyra toddled out moments later to join in the fun, her curls still sporting a touch of blue, while Astoria leaned against the door frame. Blaise slipped behind the witch and wrapped his arms around her waist, the pair watching their loved ones, friends, and children while enjoying a quiet moment to themselves.

"I didn't get to see you much today." Blaise whispered into Astoria's ear.

Placing her hands at top his as his fingers lightly stroked her abdomen. "Nor I you, _mon coeur_. Did you have fun with the rest of the husbands?"

Blaise released a chuckle at his memories from earlier in the day. "Oh yes. Your husband lost a bet, but I don't think he minds because he loves those awful shorts."

Shaking her head with a delicate laugh, Astoria rolled her eyes. "Hermione and I will take care of them."

"I think our son enjoyed his birthday."

Astoria nodded and shifted her eyes toward the Potter girl who currently had the quaffle and was flying circles around her brother. "That one will be joining the family one day."

"The more the merrier." Blaise chuckled, kissing Astoria on her cheek.

"It might be sooner than you think." Astoria said cryptically. She felt Blaise squeeze his hands against her abdomen and simply shook her head, gesturing to their wife who had a hand lazily placed across her own abdomen as Lyra was whispering something intently into her ear.

"I'm not sure she knows yet or if she does, she hasn't mentioned it. But the signs are all there." Astoria whispered as the adults outside erupted into a cheer as Scorpius scored a goal against Selena. She had watched Hermione closely for the past week knowing her wife had passed off one bit of nausea already, not to mention she had missed her last cycle.

Blaise pressed a kiss to Astoria's temple. "I'd like another son." He mused, wondering if their next child would look more like Draco, Hermione, or himself.

"All I know is that after spending the day with those two little hellions, I'm not certain I fancy having a set of twins." Astoria said watching as Basil and Violet were running around just a bit too closer to her roses. She did manage to feel a touch of pride when Scorpius lobbed a foam bludger their way and they ran back towards their father.

"No matter who she's carrying beneath her heart, if she's carrying anyone at all, you can be certain we will love them."

"Of course, we will. Family is family."


	3. Beginnings

A/N: I simply couldn't stop from writing yet another chronicle in this family's life. This one takes place many years before "The Anniversary." There's a bit of a lemon embedded within! I don't think I'm great at writing lemons, but I hope I did it justice.

….

"Blaise! Are you ready? We're going to be late if you spend any more time primping." Hermione called from her dressing table where she was just pinning a sapphire stud into her ear.

A muffled reply came through the doors leading to the ensuite where her husband was currently primping himself for the party at the Malfoy's home. Smoothing down the navy-blue fabric of her ball gown, Hermione rose from the dressing table and pushed open the doors to see her husband half dressed, his dark hair in a perfect coif, and a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth.

"For the love of Hufflepuff," she swore eyeing her husband's disheveled appearance as she sashayed past the man and retrieved his dress robes, a crisp white shirt, and his navy vest from their shared closet. Not that she didn't enjoy seeing her husband in various stages of undress but they were on the verge of no longer being fashionably late but merely rudely late. She gave herself half a second to admire his sculpted, tanned chest, before helping him into the clothing he should've already been wearing as he wiped his mouth with a towel.

As she buttoned his shirt, he cupped her cheek with his hand and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Relax, Mrs. Zabini, we'll be out the door before you know it."

"No thanks to you," Hermione muttered under her breath as she secured the last button. Blaise could see the tension in her shoulders. If there was one thing his wife hated above all other things, it was being late.

Blaise laughed heartily and gently nuzzled Hermione's nose with his before firmly kissing her on the mouth, his hands ghosting over her bare shoulders. "Relax, _tesoro_." He emphasized again, using his favorite pet name for her. "Draco and Tori will forgive us if we're late."

Hermione released a breath with a resigned sigh and wrapped her arms around her husband's waist. "I just…"

"I know, my love." Blaise interrupted as he drew his arms tightly around his petite wife, knowing exactly what she was going to say. They were both anxious to see their closest friends who had been out of the country for the past month visiting Astoria's family in France.

The couple held one another close for a moment before Blaise finished dressing for the ball they were attending that evening. After adjusting his formal dress robes over his suit, he took a moment to admire his wife. She was a picture of loveliness in her navy-blue ball gown. Layer upon layer of chiffon skimmed her hips as it flared out from her waist pooling gracefully at her feet. The bodice of her gown was decorated with thousands of tiny dark blue, black, and silver crystals which ended just at the curve of her neck, though her shoulders were left bare. The resemblance of the bodice to the night sky was made more apparent when he realized several of the silver crystals were arranged as constellations. Her curls were arranged at the nape of her neck with subtle braids woven here and there.

"You look beautiful, Hermione." He told her as they made their way to the large fireplace which had been constructed along one wall of their main sitting room.

"You look quite handsome yourself, Blaise." Hermione replied with a sincere smile as he took her hand, helping her step onto the hearth. Blaise called out their destination after tossing a handful of powder into the fire and the pair were quickly whisked away to Malfoy Manor.

They arrived in a circular receiving room within the manor and took a moment to vanish the soot from their garments before the doors were thrown open and a petite witch with a delicate bone structure and dark, bouncing curls nearly bounded into the room. She carried herself with a distinct grace, though her excitement was easy to see. She crossed the room and immediately pulled Hermione into a hug and began chattering excitedly in French.

Not long after, a tall blonde man entered the room holding two tumblers of firewhiskey. "I see my wife found yours." He said, handing Blaise one of the tumblers before fondly embracing him.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Blaise chucked as they looked over at their wives who had linked arms and were speaking in hushed tones, their faces mere inches apart.

"None." Draco replied as Hermione released a squeal, threw one arm around Astoria's shoulders, her other hand pressed against the woman's abdomen.

Blaise slipped his hand into Draco's and intertwined their fingers. "Are you to be congratulated?" He asked, watching as his wife kissed Draco's on the cheek, his heart lifting at the sight of her smile.

Draco beamed proudly. "I am, Blaise. We're to have a son." He repeated the word again, reverently. "A son."

Blaise squeezed his hand, enjoying the brief moment of solitude before he knew the four of them would have to join the rest of the guests as well as Draco's family. His own mother was probably flitting around somewhere on the arm of yet another new beau.

"Astoria is positively glowing." Blaise remarked, gesturing towards the petite brunette with coffee colored curls. He couldn't help but compare them to Hermione's which tended to be more wild and lighter in color, more of a mahogany or russet, but no less lovely.

"I think she's happier now that your wife is here. She was feeling a bit under the weather earlier today, but Hermione's presence seems to have lifted her spirits considerably." Draco said, his eyes carefully watching the curvy witch who had her arms wrapped around his wife.

"She nearly drug me out of the house in a state of undress. You know how much she dislikes being late, though I think she was more anxious to see Tori than anything." Blaise said, taking a pull from his glass of firewhiskey, his thumb stroking across Draco's knuckles.

He and Astoria felt much the same about the other pair – he had to stop Astoria from immediately flooing over to the Zabini's home as soon as they caught their portkey home from France. Though the words were left unspoken, Draco knew Blaise was just as anxious to see him as Hermione was to see his wife and the opposite was true as well.

Draco and Blaise had grown up together and had even been lovers for a while before they met their respective spouses. Hermione and Astoria's tale of friendship was even more strange given that Astoria had approached Hermione to be her divorce attorney before she and Draco had officially met. Astoria found out about a marriage contract her parents had set up before the family had moved to France to avoid the war. Loathing the idea of an arranged marriage, Astoria decided to take action before even meeting her betrothed. Draco, being the absolute charmer that he was, managed to woo her and the two were married within a year. At their engagement party, Astoria managed to discover Blaise and Hermione in a rather compromising situation and the two were married not long after Draco and Astoria tied the knot.

Draco and Hermione's friendship seemed to take the longest to develop as they had to overcome a lack of trust in the other from their days in school. Blaise and Astoria shared a similar sense of humor, a passion for the healing arts, and a love of poetry and musical theatre and the friendship that developed between the two was easy. While Hermione and Draco preferred to hole themselves up in a quiet room with a stack of books, Blaise and Astoria would eagerly accompany each other to the theatre. Once Draco and Hermione realized the sheer amount of interests they shared, their no-nonsense approach to life, and how much they truly loved to argue with one another, they became nearly inseparable.

Over the past several months, the respective couples had slowly been exploring deeper relationships with one another beyond the confines of their spouse. Blaise accompanied Astoria to a conference on Healing Magic in America. Hermione and Draco started a charity to provide at-risk orphans (many of those from families with former ties to the Dark Lord) with access to upstanding mentors within the magical world. Astoria and Hermione had taken a trip to a seaside spa while Draco and Blaise spent the week at a country club playing golf and securing interest in their new potions firm.

There were more little touches here and there – a brush of lips across a cheek, an arm draped around someone's shoulders, fingers intertwined beneath a table. The Malfoy's month-long trip to France only seemed to solidify the developing affection into something most certainly beyond friendship, though the impact of those developing affections had not been spoken aloud.

The doors to the receiving room flew open once more and the regal form of Narcissa Malfoy entered the room. "There you are." She said to the group of four, not bothering to raise a perfectly sculpted brow at how they had managed to pair themselves off.

Hermione separated herself from Astoria and embraced the older witch before anyone else could say anything to the Malfoy matriarch. "Cissa, how lovely to see you."

"Likewise, my dear." Narcissa said with a kind smile, though she set her eyes to her son. "We mustn't keep the rest of our guests waiting."

"Yes, mother." Draco replied with a polite formality. "We'll be along in a moment."

Before she could leave the room, Blaise made his way to Narcissa's side and embraced her as well, kissing the air near her cheeks in greeting. "You look lovely as always, Narcissa."

"You flatter an old woman." She said with a slight chuckle before turning once again to her son. "If you're not out in five minutes, I can guarantee it will be your father next time." Narcissa said and then immediately swept out of the room.

By this point, Hermione had made her way over to Draco and she now held his glass of firewhiskey in her hands. "What did you do this time?" She said, nudging him in his side and taking a sip from his tumbler.

"We told Adelaide and Hyperion before we told mother and father." Draco said, taking his glass back from Hermione and taking another long pull of the amber liquid.

Hermione chuckled and rested her hand fondly against Draco's back. "Tori told me how her mother figured it out one morning at breakfast and immediately took off from the dining room to find her husband. There was a touch of comparison to a rampaging centaur in heat. I'm not certain you ever had the chance to tell Narcissa…"

With a snicker and a roll of his eyes, Draco shook his head. "Mummy dearest would never believe that."

"She'll come around. Perhaps make it a point to tell her first if and when the spare comes along."

Draco's eyes wandered to where his wife was conversing with his former lover, her hand was resting lightly on his arm and she looked content. "Did she tell you she made me to go to the theater with her in France?"

"Oh, you poor dear. That must be what Blaise is so enthralled with – she must be regaling him with tales of whatever show you were forced into watching." Hermione shook her head. "I'll never understand that obsession."

Draco draped his arm around Hermione's shoulder and started to lead them over towards their respective spouses. "Did I tell you I received my copy of _The Enigmatic Properties of Transmutational Mercury_ by Bertram Townsend?"

"In your last letter, yes." Hermione said, watching as Blaise and Astoria laughed together about something he had said. "Mine arrived just the other day, though I had a rather large case to prepare for and so I'm only about halfway through."

"I think you'll find it fascinating. It has wonderful possibilities for the company your husband and I are starting."

"Blaise would rather eat his own foot than read about it." Hermione quipped.

"Read about what, _tesoro?_ " Blaise asked, turning to his wife with Astoria's arm still lightly resting upon his own.

Draco and Hermione shared a look between them before looking at her husband. "Transmutational mercury and the implications of its use in alchemical and oxygenated reactions especially when combined with alkaline metals."

Blaise turned to Astoria with a sly smirk. "Do you think my foot would taste like pork or lamb, my pet?"

The two witches and the blonde wizard laughed at Blaise's remark, though no one offered a hypothesis. The two husbands escorted their respective wives into the ballroom of Malfoy Manor before Draco's father had a chance to find the young couples sequestered away.

The ballroom was decorated in gold bunting with sprays of greenery. Elves dressed in their best pillowcases and tea cozies carried drinks and hors d'oeuvres on silver platters as guests in their finest dress robes danced across the floor. Small tables were set up around the sides of the ballroom where business partners made new alliances and traded secrets. Society wives were clustered at various tables discussing everything from charities to children.

Hermione was not raised in this atmosphere as were her husband and their best friends, but she made every effort to ingratiate herself as much as possible. She was able to lend her name and status as a war heroine to various causes and apply her legal expertise when consulted. She was thoroughly convinced that Blaise had a silver tongue because he could talk almost anyone into anything. Astoria was extremely gifted at ensuring cooperation and building alliances from the sidelines. She could merely say a few words here and there and she would have even the harshest matriarch or the staunchest business man eating from the palm of her hand. Draco shined in his ability to negotiate business deals that furthered his own investments as well as increased the wealth of others. He was also very charitable and oversaw several charities with the aid of his mother, wife, and Hermione. The four young adults were a veritable powerhouse of influence when they put their mind to it.

As the ball wound down, the four young adults excused themselves and retreated to the gardens. The warm summer air surrounded the two witches as the lazed about near the pool. The light from the stars and the moon was reflected on the still surface of the water, though the surface was disturbed when Astoria removed her shoes and dipped her toes into the water.

With a wave of her wand and a muttered incantation, Hermione shortened her ball gown to stop just at her knees and sat next to the younger witch. As she languidly kicked her feet through the warm water, she slipped an arm around Astoria, gently twirling the coffee colored curls around her fingers.

Astoria sighed happily and rested her head against Hermione's shoulder, her other arm cradling the older witch's hip. "I missed you." She said quietly.

"We missed you too, Tori." Hermione said, knowing how much both she and Blaise had longed for the company of the Malfoys when they had been in France. It was as though there was a part of them missing.

"Do you know where our husbands have gone?"

Hermione gestured off towards the gardens. "They walked off that way a bit earlier. I expect they've found a quiet place to be alone for a while, much as we have."

"It doesn't bother you, does it?" The tone of Astoria's voice was hesitant and halting. "That they slip off together at times?" While it had been happening for a while now, neither witch had ever spoken of the implications of their husbands being together.

Hermione shook her head and ran her hand soothingly down Astoria's curls. "No, love, it doesn't bother me. Does it bother you when Draco and I spend time together?"

Astoria released a slightly nervous giggle. "Don't be daft. You have more in common with my husband than I do, at times."

Hermione pressed a kiss to the top of Astoria's head. "I could say the same for you and my husband, Tori."

"Don't you find it strange?" Astoria brushed her foot against Hermione's as she gently kicked her feet in the water. In the month they had been separated, Astoria had time to do a good deal of thinking. She loved her husband unconditionally but there were also definite feelings there for her best friend and her husband that were certainly not platonic. She was certain that, if given the opportunity, those feelings would only continue to grow.

"I think we're all just trying to do what _feels_ right." Hermione turned towards Astoria and gently cupped her cheek with her hand, brushing the pad of her thumb across the other witch's bottom lip. Gazing into her deep blue eyes for a long moment, Hermione closed the distance between them and captured Astoria's lips in a gentle kiss. A soft, pleasurable moan escaped Astoria's lips as she pressed herself closer to Hermione, her arms coming up to wrap around the witch's neck.

….

As they were walking along one path near the edge of the gardens, Blaise suddenly paused, holding his arm out to stop Draco from moving further forward. With a gesture to remain silent, Blaise lifted a finger to point at the scene in front of them. Their wives were a pair of tangled limbs with Hermione hovering over Astoria on one of the chaise lounges surrounding the pool. Their ball gowns had been carefully draped over a nearby chair and they were clad in only their undergarments. Blaise could just make out the way his wife's golden skin contrasted with Astoria's paler complexion in the moonlight, though his focus was on the sensual way they were moving as one. It was as though they were made for one another.

The pair stood in silence as they watched their wives from the edge of the gardens. At some point their arms had slipped around each other, their formal robes tossed to the side, though they were still each clad in their trousers, oxfords, and waistcoats.

"Does that bother you?" Draco asked, unbeknownst to him that his wife had posed the very same question earlier in the evening.

Blaise shook his head and tightened his grip around Draco's shoulders. "No. Hermione and I have no secrets."

"She knows about … _us_?" Draco asked with hesitancy, suspecting his own wife knew exactly what he and Blaise got up to when they were alone with one another.

"She does and she's very… open minded… about certain things." Blaise said, thinking back to a conversation he had previously had with his wife while the pair were out of town. "We both missed you and Tori very much this past month."

"It felt like a part of us was missing." Draco supplied, turning his head away from their wives to look at his own lover who nodded in agreement. Draco slipped his arms around the tanned wizard and tugged him closer as Blaise's fingers threaded their way into his blonde hair. Their mouth came crashing down upon each other, the culmination of heavy petting in the gardens, flirting with one another as they walked, and seeing their wives tangled together in the throes of passion.

The two wizards divested each other of most of their remaining clothing as they slowly made their way towards their wives. Draco's waistcoat landed atop of a rosebush, while Blaise's shirt was discarded behind a large topiary. By the time they made it anywhere near the pool, both wizards were barefoot, and clad only in their trousers with kiss swollen lips and both sporting a few love bites.

The two women were much the same, though less clothed. Hermione's hair had been pulled from its chignon and framed her face and Astoria's normally pristine make up was smudged and her curls were no longer tame, but wild and free from the clips that held them back. Black lace skimmed Hermione's hips though her bra had been discarded some time ago, evident by the fact that Astoria's mouth was teasing one pebbled nipple with gentle nips and licks as Hermione threaded her fingers through the coffee colored curls. Astoria was in a similar state of undress though her hips, and consequently her sex, was covered by crimson colored silk.

The two wizards admired the view of their wives, the two witches none the wiser until Blaise reached out a tentative hand and ran his fingertips over the curve of Astoria's arse. Pressing a hand to his lower back, Draco urged his lover forward as he continued to stroke the witch's curves with a feather light touch. With a sultry moan, Astoria pressed her hips backward towards Blaise's hand as she kissed her way up Hermione's chest to nibble at the spot where her shoulder and neck were joined.

Hermione tightened her grip on Astoria's hair and pulled the younger witch away from her neck in order to kiss her once more. As soon as their lips were joined, Hermione released Astoria's hair from within her grasp and moved to stroke her back, trailing her nails over the witch's spine, leaving perfect rows of red to contrast with the white of Astoria's skin.

As Blaise slipped a finger beneath the fabric of Astoria's knickers, ghosting over her sex, Draco slipped his hand into his lover's trousers from behind, stroking his erection languidly. Hearing the familiar sound of Blaise moaning, Hermione's eyes flew open, meeting the familiar silver-gray eyes of Draco as Astoria pulled back from the witch beneath her. Astoria rested her head against Hermione's chest as Blaise slipped a finger within the warm, silky walls of Astoria's sex, eliciting another moan from the witch.

"Open your eyes, love." Hermione whispered as she lovingly ran her fingers through Astoria's now unruly curls.

Astoria's hips rocked against Blaise's fingers as she slowly opened her eyes, meeting the lust-filled ones of her husband, whose head was visible over the shoulder of the wizard who currently had his fingers buried within her. She could just make out the curve of Draco's arm as it disappeared into Blaise's opened trousers from her periphery.

Draco whispered against Blaise's ear and the wizard removed his fingers from Astoria and instead slipped them into his own mouth, sucking and licking her juices from his fingers. Draco offered his wife his free hand as his other hand continued to stroke and tease Blaise's cock. Taking Draco's hand, Astoria slipped off of the chaise lounge and as she stood upright, Draco pulled her forward and into Blaise's arms. Blaise's arms snaked around Astoria's waist even as her hands went around his neck, their lips meeting in a sensual, slow kiss.

Hermione smiled fondly as she watched Draco slip his hand out of her husband's trousers before pressing a kiss to Astoria's temple, even as she was still kissing Blaise. Standing up from her seat, Hermione slipped behind Draco and peppered his back with a trail of kisses and gentle nips. Releasing his wife and Blaise, Draco turned to face Hermione, his hand slipping into her curls and gripping tightly before tugging her against him and capturing her lips in a kiss which was much frantic and frenzied than the one his wife was currently sharing with Hermione's husband. While Blaise and Astoria explored one another in a sensual, unhurried way, the same could not be said for Hermione and Draco.

The lives of the four magical beings were irrevocably changed that evening. New connections were formed while old bonds were strengthened and when dawn rose over the horizon the four adults were more sated and happy than they had been in the past several years. They sat together in various states of undress, watching the sunrise over the acreage attached to Malfoy Manor.

Astoria was tucked beneath Blaise's arm, her head resting sleepily on his shoulder while Draco sat on his other side, dangling his feet in the pool. Hermione was completely immersed in the warm water and her head was resting against Blaise's leg, though one of her arms was wrapped around Draco's leg as an anchor. Draco drew his fingertips through Hermione's damp, frizzy curls while Blaise stroked Draco's back with his free hand.

"I don't want this night to end." Hermione murmured as she traced a line up and down one of Draco's calves with her finger.

Astoria hummed in agreement and snuggled slightly closer to Blaise with a yawn.

"The sun is coming up, _tesoro_. I think the night ended quite a while ago." Blaise quipped, causing Hermione to splash him with water and shift her head over to where it would rest against Draco's leg out of playful spite.

Draco looked out over the horizon pensively, idly stroking Hermione's curls. "It doesn't have to end," he said quietly.

"I'm due in court in probably four hours." Hermione muttered with a slightly cranky tone, not wanting to think about her responsibilities when she was so comfortable.

Astoria reached over Blaise and tugged at one of Hermione's curls causing the witch to yelp more out of surprise than anything else. "He means this… us… _we_ … don't have to end, you silly witch."

"I see no reason why this… _arrangement…_ can't continue." Blaise mused, leaning over to rest his head against Draco's shoulder, idly stroking Astoria's arm.

"The word arrangement makes whatever this is sound so formal." Draco remarked.

"I refuse to draw up color coded schedules." Hermione quipped with a wry laugh.

"I think we should promise that whatever happens between the four of us that we are friends first and lovers second. That's not something I want to lose." The other three adults nodded in agreement with Astoria's statement. None of them wanted to risk their close friendship, but all felt compelled to pursue the new connections that were forged the night before.

"So, we agree to keep this casual?" Blaise asked the group, eliciting nods of agreement.

Hermione raised a hand from the water as though she were holding a glass of wine, though her head was still resting against Draco's thigh, her other arm still wrapped firmly around his leg. "To us."

The remaining three adults echoed Hermione's impromptu toast with a quiet laughter each raising their own imaginary glass in turn, completely unaware of just how much they would grow and bond with one another over the coming years.

"To us."


End file.
